Eleven selected for Skyscanner Americas Tour

• 12 Jun 2024
• News

Gregor Townsend has named 11 Edinburgh players in his 37-man squad for the Skyscanner Americas Tour this summer – including uncapped duo Matt Currie and Patrick Harrison – for matches against Canada, USA, Chile and Uruguay.

Currie has previous experience of a Scotland summer tour, having started against Chile two years ago for Scotland A in a 45-5 victory.

Harrison has impressed for Edinburgh A in recent FOSROC Super Series matches and the 21-year-old hooker, Edinburgh Rugby’s youngest ever in the position, makes the step up to international level.

Forwards Ewan Ashman, Luke Crosbie, Javan Sebastian, Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie and Glen Young are all selected alongside the uncapped duo, with backs Ben Healy, Harry Paterson and Duhan van der Merwe also named in the 37-man travelling squad.

Nathan McBeth, Robbie Smith, Will Hurd, Max Williamson, Ewan Johnson, Gregor Brown, Gus Warr and Arron Reed are the other uncapped players on tour.

Loosehead prop McBeth, back-five forward Brown and second row Williamson, all from Glasgow Warriors, have trained with the Scotland squad in recent times along with winger Arron Reed from Sale Sharks who was in the Guinness Six Nations squad earlier this year. Reed is joined by scrum-half clubmate Gus Warr, who has represented Scotland at age-grade level.

Former Scotland Under-20s captain Robbie Smith, of Northampton Saints, has been named, joining fellow former Under-20s player and Oyonnax second row Ewan Johnson.

Leicester Tigers tighthead prop Will Hurd was included in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations squad but was ruled out through injury and has earned another call-up.

The 10 uncapped players join a raft of experienced names who played in Scotland’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations campaign with Rory Darge, Crosbie, Sebastian, Elliot Millar-Mills, Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Healy, Paterson, George Horne, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, Van der Merwe, Sione Tuipulotu, Matt Fagerson, Schoeman, Scott Cummings and Kyle Steyn all touring.

Ritchie and Huw Jones are included with both players close to reaching half-century milestones for their country. Flanker Ritchie is just one cap shy with centre Jones two away from the same landmark.

Adam Hastings and Josh Bayliss are fully fit and available for the matches, having been ruled out of previous squads through injury.

Hooker Dylan Richardson made his Scotland debut back in 2021 against Japan as a back-rower, but has since changed position and recently lifted the Challenge Cup with the Sharks, coming off the bench in the final in London.

Ahead of Scotland’s four international matches in July, the leading online travel brand Skyscanner has signed naming rights for this year’s summer tour to create the Skyscanner Americas Tour.

The Skyscanner Americas Tour begins in North America where Scotland will play the Canadians in Ottawa on Saturday 6 July, before journeying to Washington DC to take on USA six days later. South America is the third stop on Scotland’s travels as they return to Chile having played in Santiago in 2022. The tour will end in Uruguay where the two sides will play each other for the first time since the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

All games will be shown live in the UK and Ireland, with broadcast details confirmed in due course.

Summer Tour Fixture List

Saturday 6 July: Canada v Scotland, TD Place, Ottawa, kick-off: 10pm UK time, 5pm local time
Friday 12 July: USA v Scotland, Audi Field, Washington DC, kick-off: 11.30pm UK time, 6.30pm local time
Saturday 20 July: Chile v Scotland, Estadio Nacional, Santiago, kick-off: 8pm UK time. 3pm local time
Saturday 27 July: Uruguay v Scotland, Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, kick-off: 8pm UK time, 4pm local time

Scotland Summer Tour Squad

Forwards

Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby) 17 caps
Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby) 5 caps
Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped
Alex Craig (Scarlets) 2 caps
Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh Rugby) 8 caps
Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) 38 caps
Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors) 19 caps
Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 44 caps
Patrick Harrison (Edinburgh Rugby) uncapped
Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers) uncapped
Ewan Johnson (Oyonnax Rugby) uncapped
Nathan McBeth (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped
Elliot Millar-Mills (Northampton Saints) 3 caps
Javan Sebastian (Edinburgh Rugby) 8 caps
Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) 31 caps
Robbie Smith (Northampton Saints) uncapped
Rory Sutherland (Oyonnax Rugby) 30 caps
Dylan Richardson (The Sharks) 1 cap
Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby) 49 caps
Murphy Walker (Glasgow Warriors) 3 caps
Max Williamson (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped
Glen Young (Edinburgh Rugby) 3 caps

Backs

Matt Currie (Edinburgh Rugby) uncapped
Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors) 2 caps
Adam Hastings (Gloucester Rugby) 26 caps
Ben Healy (Edinburgh Rugby) 5 caps
George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) 30 caps
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) 48 caps
Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors) 2 caps
Harry Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby) 1 cap
Arron Reed (Sale Sharks) uncapped
Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors) 4 caps
Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors) 19 caps
Ross Thompson (Glasgow Warriors) 3 caps
Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors) 25 caps
Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) 39 caps
Gus Warr (Sale Sharks) uncapped

Development players

During the last two weeks of the tour, three development players will join the squad as a learning opportunity and to bolster training. Tighthead prop Fin Richardson, who has signed for Glasgow Warriors next season, will be joined by his new teammate, scrum-half Ben Afshar. Edinburgh Rugby lock Rob Carmichael will also be added to the group for the final two weeks.

Fin Richardson (Exeter Chiefs) uncapped
Rob Carmichael (Edinburgh Rugby) uncapped
Ben Afshar (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped